Teaching Assistant Policies

Teaching Assistant Policies

The Teaching Assistantship is regulated by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (see LINK below). In addition, AIS outlines the following policies that pertain to TAs in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies (AIS) specifically:

A. Teaching Assistants (TA) for the Arabic classroom are required to follow the TA Model they and their faculty sign at the start of the semester. This TA model is binding from the start of classes until the course concludes, including the Arabic Unified Exam date. The TA model is provided to TAs and faculty prior to the beginning of the semester. Teaching Assistants for content courses follow the TA arrangements made between their faculty and them.

B. AIS Policy on TA Absences and Accommodations:

Teaching Assistants who are unable to attend to their TA duties should adhere to the following protocol:

1. If absent for 1-2 days:

  • inform the faculty for whom you TA as soon as possible.
  • inform the AIS business manager and Director of Arabic Studies (DAS)
  • if applicable: inform students of cancelled office hours
  • if possible (not required): arrange for a substitute from among other AIS TAs
  • follow up with faculty to ensure that class-related work is not impacted more than necessary
  • you may be required to provide documentation in support of your request for a personal day

2. If absent for longer than 1-2 days:

  • inform the faculty for whom you TA as soon as possible
  • inform the AIS business manager and DAS as soon as possible
  • AIS will arrange for a substitute if necessary
  • Cooperate with the substitute about class responsibilities to ensure smooth continuation of the course
  • you may be required to provide documentation in support of your request for a personal day

3. Absences for more than five (5) consecutive days will be handled in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement under the section, Leaves of Absence from Assistantship. See below.  

AIS adheres to the following policies in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement:

ARTICLE XXIII PERSONAL DAYS

Section 1. The University will not unreasonably deny a Graduate Student Assistant’s request for a reasonable number of days off due to illness or injury (which can include the illness or injury of an immediate family member requiring care from the Graduate Student Assistant), observance of religious holidays that are not designated as University holidays, bereavement following the death of an immediate family member, jury duty or other court appearances, or other reasonable justifications. For purposes of this Article, an “immediate family member” is defined as the Graduate Student Assistant’s spouse, parents, legal guardian, children, grandparents, siblings, or any person who stands in the same relationship.

Section 2. A Graduate Student Assistant’s stipend will not be reduced because of an approved personal day. A Graduate Student Assistant who is compensated on an hourly basis will, upon request, be provided an opportunity to perform work on another day(s), to the extent possible, so that the Graduate Student Assistant does not lose compensation because of an approved personal day. In the event that a Graduate Student Assistant is unable to reschedule hourly work due to hospitalization or other emergency circumstances, they will be eligible to apply to the Emergency Assistance Fund for the compensation they would have received for hours worked on said personal day(s).

Section 3: A Graduate Student Assistant may be required to provide documentation in support of their request for a personal day. A request for more than five (5) consecutive days off should be handled in accordance with Article XXIV (Leaves of Absence from Assistantship). This Article only addresses a Graduate Student Assistant’s request for days off from their service responsibilities. This Article does not address a Graduate Student Assistant’s academic responsibilities, as those responsibilities are beyond the scope of collective bargaining under the Parties’ April 2, 2018 Agreement.

ARTICLE XXIV LEAVES OF ABSENCE FROM ASSISTANTSHIP

Section 1: Definition of Leave from Assistantship. For purposes of this Article, a leave of absence is defined as any period of longer than five (5) days during which the University excuses a Graduate Student Assistant from their Graduate Student Assistant responsibilities. The Article does not address leaves of absence from academic responsibilities, which are beyond the scope of collective bargaining under the Parties’ April 2, 2018 Agreement.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT between GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY and THE GEORGETOWN ALLIANCE OF GRADUATE EMPLOYEES (GAGE), AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (AFT), LOCAL 06440 EFFECTIVE MAY 8, 2020 – JUNE 30, 2023 (For further details on Leave of Absences, refer pages 22-27)